Wednesday, July 20, 2005 | ||
Bad Links? | PTC may say, Get those little pocket bikes off our city streetsBy JOHN MUNFORD Peachtree City officials may soon ban the use of the popular mini-motorcycles, called pocket bikes, from public streets. They already are banned from the citys 80-plus miles of cart paths. The City Council will consider such an ordinance at its regular meeting Thursday at 7 p.m. The ordinance proposed by staff would only allow the bikes, classified as a motorized play vehicle, to be operated on private property as long as the operator has received written permission of the owner. The same would be true for other motorized play vehicles, defined in the ordinance as a coaster, scooter, pocket bike or any other motorized vehicle self-propelled by a motor engine if the vehicle is not defined by city ordinance as a low speed motor vehicle, motorcycle, electric bike, personal assistance mobility device or motorized wheelchair. Also, the proposed ordinance would require vendors who sell motorized play vehicles to post a notice near those products that they cannot be driven anywhere except on private property where the owner has given permission to do so. A copy of that notice must accompany the purchase of the vehicles, and if the purchaser is a minor, the parent or legal guardian must sign to acknowledge receipt of the notice, according to a draft version of the ordinance that will be presented to council. The ordinance also would forbid operation of motorized play vehicles in a manner causing excessive, unnecessary or offensive noise which disturbs the peace and quiet of any neighborhood. Pocket bikes and similar devices are illegal to use on the citys cart path system because the city ordinance on golf cart path usage specifically indicates which vehicles are allowed. Nonetheless, some people are driving them on the cart paths, notes Peachtree City Police Chief James Murray in a memo to council on the issue. The use of motorized play vehicles is becoming a major safety concern for the city, Murray said in the memo. Pocket bikes in particular are dangerous because they are so low to the ground that other motorists may not see them, and they do not meet the safety requirements of a regular motorcycle, Murray noted. Also, pocket bike riders typically do not wear safety equipment, he added. Common sense, parental supervision, public education and enforcement measures are critical in addressing some of these types of public safety concerns, Murray wrote. Council is also slated to consider filing a request with the Georgia Department of Transportation to put a traffic signal at the intersection of Ga. Highway 54 and Stevens Entry. The DOT informed the city that traffic conditions are now such that the light is warranted, City Developmental Services Director Clyde Stricklin said in a memo to council. The DOT will supply the equipment and the city will pay for the installation for approximately $70,000, and the cost of electricity and phone service, estimated at $150 a month. Council will also consider adopting a congestion relief accord that urges traffic improvements to the interchange of Interstate 85 and Ga. Highway 74. Included in that is the addition of on and off ramps for Ga. Highway 92 to serve the various homes and businesses off Hwy. 92 in unincorporated south Fulton County. The same accord will be presented to various governments in Fulton, Coweta and Fayette counties in an effort to help lobbying for the projects with the Georgia Department of Transportation Board. Mayor Steve Brown, who is spearheading the effort, has said that development near I-85 in Fulton County is picking up to the point that it will seriously affect the day-to-day commutes of Peachtree City and east Coweta residents. Also, council is expected to consider bids for the multi-use cart path bridge that will go over Flat Creek in south Peachtree City. Ultimately the bridge will help connect residential homes to the citys baseball and soccer complex on Hwy. 74 South. The bids recommended by city staff will cost a total of $173,953, which will require more than $90,000 to be transferred to the project from the Public Improvement Project contingency fund. Two separate bids were necessary: one for the pre-manufactured bridge and the other for construction of the abutments and installation of the bridge. |
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